Chelsea Handler: Crankiest Talk Show Guest Ever?

While the current crop of late night hosts have displayed total man love for one another, it gets testier when you go descend down the talk show food chain. You have to watch this clip when E’s Chelsea Handler guested on Piers Morgan. Though a talk show host herself, she proved a nightmare guest for Morgan, who had to go as far as serving up George Zimmerman at an autograph signing to find something they actually agreed upon. She got pissed he was texting during commercials and ignoring her. Morgan, who has clashed with Handler before, later said he was checking soccer game scores. I was racking my brain trying to figure out the last time I saw such a combative interview subject and then it came to me. It was Nathan Thurm. See below:

40 Comments

Fan • on Mar 13, 2014 5:40 am

Piers deserved nothing less than contempt. Odious man.

DavidC • on Mar 13, 2014 5:47 am

She’s great.

hmmm • on Mar 13, 2014 8:37 pm

Get real.

It’s funny how Comcast talks about its commitment to minority communities but still allows Chelsea Handler to be on the air. Handler constantly brags about how she hates minorities and Eastern Europeans. I’ve read her saying this in past interviews with Newsweek and The New York Times. You’d think that in 2014 people would know better not to support this intolerant imbecile.

It’s obvious why Handler acts this way — to get attention because she has no talent. Everyone knows the joke that if comedy were easy, she would do it. She’s basically a middle-aged woman who peddles ignorant rants about other people and brags about getting drunk like a 16 year old would. Her bigotry and rudeness make her extremely unlikable to wider audiences, as evidenced by her recent failed attempts to go mainstream.

charlie • on Mar 31, 2014 6:59 am

She holds the award for using the “F” word more than anyone else. What class.

it's okay to breathe • on Mar 13, 2014 5:55 am

There’s a line I’m reminded of from ‘Broadcast News’: “I hated the way you spoke to me just now. And it wasn’t just because you were right.” She really could get some perspective on how privileged she is to be talking about her art.

Jil • on Mar 13, 2014 6:14 am

She’s a skank punker and definitely NOT funny.
she amuses other punk people with nasty low class punk remarks. Just watch her reactions when anyone criticizes her. Psycho chick.

b • on Mar 13, 2014 6:55 am

GET OFF MY LAWN!!!!

Sempai • on Mar 13, 2014 9:47 am

Perfectly put!!!

derby • on Mar 13, 2014 6:19 am

I have never understood the appeal of Chelsea Handler. I just cannot understand why she is on TV, doing anything. Then again, it’s usually on E!, so now it makes a little more sense.

Ryan in L.A. • on Mar 13, 2014 4:37 pm

the important thing is that you’re admitting that you don’t understand certain things. I would suggest working harder to understand. For example, some people might not understand some of the things you like. I had a similar discussion recently with my 3 year old nephew.

BD • on Mar 13, 2014 6:25 am

Well, you really have to follow Chelsea and do some research, she has hated on Morgan in the past and Morgan is such a tool that you know it’s the kind of person Chelsea would hate even if she hadn’t made a comment or two before about him. Even the way he’s reacting to her jokes and the interview in general would make you want to talk to him the way Chelsea is doing. She’s obviously just doing this for the book and the tour and not because she wants to be there and who can blame her?, again, the biggest douche ever is interviewing her.

cadavra • on Mar 13, 2014 4:19 pm

She pulled the same stunt on Leno a couple of years ago, and he had the class to just sit there and take it. She’s just a horrible person and her entire career remains a testament to the unfailingly bad taste of the American public.

joe • on Mar 13, 2014 6:26 am

That’s not cranky mood, that’s Chelsea Handler’s mood. She is exactly like that every day in her own show.

JG • on Mar 13, 2014 6:32 am

Chelsea deserves a medal of honor.

Kyle • on Mar 13, 2014 6:52 am

That’s exactly how they interact, they always do that whenever they’re together. They hassle eachother and insult eachother, have you not seen him appear on her show?

Smacky • on Mar 13, 2014 6:53 am

This reminds me of Joe Biden debating Paul Ryan — the seasoned veteran laughing off this young fool. Kudos to Piers for not taking her crap; she’s second rate.

kenny • on Mar 13, 2014 7:39 am

Thanks for dragging politics into a YouTube video of Chelsea Handler. After all, we almost risked having a comment section not flare up on politics here.

DJT • on Mar 13, 2014 8:44 am

Would that be the “seasoned veteran” who looked the camera and America in the eye and said that he voted against BOTH Gulf wars in Iraq– the biggest, most deliberate lie ever uttered in political debate during the modern era? You know, like what the “seasoned veteran’s” sidekick said about if you liked your healthcare or doctor we could keep them, “PERIOD!”.

Ratbag • on Mar 13, 2014 7:05 am

Can’t stand either of these insufferable no-talents. However, I must admit I loved the clip. He is the worst.

Anthony • on Mar 13, 2014 7:16 am

While she is certainly cranky during this interview, I think this is clearly more of a problem that she has with Morgan, than a general crankiness when doing interviews. She was on Jimmy Fallon recently and wasn’t cranky.

Jerry • on Mar 13, 2014 7:25 am

It’s perfect. Two people the world doesn’t care about.

Biff • on Mar 13, 2014 7:42 am

The dumb leading the dumb.

Josh • on Mar 13, 2014 8:21 am

Contentious interview? How did you forget the Madonna-Letterman interview, which apparently earned its own Wikipedia page:

No, she was no more cranky than usual. That’s her shtick and he got her on his show because he knows it makes great television. It’s all about ratings. She’s hilarious and I love her show and because she always speaks unfiltered; a rarity in a world preoccupied with being politically correct all the time.

You Don't Say • on Mar 13, 2014 10:07 am

“because she always speaks unfiltered; a rarity in a world preoccupied with being politically correct all the time.”

Riiiight. In the age of Twitter, where any celebrity or person of note can fire off a random brain fart to the general masses from the comfort of their couch. Yeah, she’s one of a kind.

OldTimer • on Mar 13, 2014 9:31 am

I can think of two worse than this: in 2003 when Kudlow & Kramer had on John Cassidy, author of Dot Con, a book critical of Kramer. They called him an anti-Semite and the interview ended in silence before they cut to comemrcial. The other was when Abel Ferrara was on “Lauren Hutton And…” in 1996 and he went totally ballistic on her.

Bill • on Mar 13, 2014 9:36 am

Just read about this in Austin and the SXSW Blog here said, “She proves you don’t have to weigh 400 pounds to be a total and complete disgusting pig”… sorry, but that’s funny!

areyoutherechelsea • on Mar 13, 2014 10:54 am

Finally the real chelsea comes to TV. Notoriously poor reputation off camera. She was so down to earth and funny and all that changed. Too Bad. Used to be a fan but not anymore.

Johnny • on Mar 13, 2014 10:59 am

Alex Jones is still Piers’ most hostile interviewee.

SE • on Mar 13, 2014 11:08 am

I think Chelsea Handler’s cranky, acerbic shtick can be a lot of fun, but I stopped watching her show because I got sick of the constant reminders to her audience that she’s best friends with all her female movie star guests and if she isn’t, she has at least seen them at the same party in Malibu. We get it Chelsea – you’re a Jersey party girl who made it – but you’re appeal is as a Jersey party girl and an outsider, not a Hollywood insider. Exact same beef I have with Ellen, whose self-deprecating humor was brilliant, all of which was lost when she came out. But that’s a whole other topic.

vighorois • on Mar 13, 2014 1:20 pm

Chelsea Handler reminds me of a certain darling Nikki in the cranky department.

Ryan in L.A. • on Mar 13, 2014 1:45 pm

Does the writer of this article interpret candor as “cranky”? Would you rather watch someone like Jennifer Lopez who smiles through everything on camera and then goes backstage and rips everyone to pieces? Chelsea was just being her usual self which can be pretty hilarious. And I don’t think Piers minded too much.

M • on Mar 13, 2014 1:54 pm

You write about Chelsea like she is a 19 month old. She’s just calling him out on being an ass. All I’ve read on deadline today was this and the Lena Dunham piece where you were uncomfortable with her sexual interactions because you have daughters. Cranky and uncomfortable. Hmmm.

stephen jackson • on Mar 13, 2014 3:03 pm

Sounds like her comments were for real. If so, it just cheapens her already cheap rep and behavior. If not, well now it does !!! Either way, she is low class.